Comb



y 3, 1952 L. w. SHIELDS 2,596,296

COMB

Filed Dec. 16, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 llIIIIIlIlIIIIl/l fk/uelk W M Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

COMB

Lavelle W. Shields, Waterbury, Conn.

Application December 16, 1948, Serial N 0. 65,632

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates in general to combs and more especially to a comb having teeth of an improved construction for exercising the hair and scalp.

An object of the invention is to provide a comb having superior teeth for treatment of the hair.

A further object of the invention is to provide a comb with teeth characterized by a curvature which lifts the hair from the scalp thereby exerting a gentle pull on the hair for effectively exercising the roots of the hair and massaging the scalp.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a comb embodying the improved curved teeth of this invention, the comb of Fig. 1 being of the reservoir type for supplying a hair-treating lotion to th curved teeth of the comb;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section of the reservoir type of comb of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the comb on section line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the back of the comb with the Wick removed from the wick-receiving aperture thereof and showing the internally-threaded recess in the end of the comb, for attaching the handle thereto;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the back of the comb shown in Fig. 4, illustrating the eccentricity of the fluid-supplying passage of the back of the comb to the handle-receiving recess thereof;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modification of the comb wherein the back and handle of the comb are solid and the teeth have an accentuated curvature;

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the comb of Fig. 6 showing the accentuated curvature of the teeth of the comb;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a further modification of the comb, the comb having a substantially-solid back and handle and being provided with double-ended curbed teeth for facilitating use of the comb by either rightor left-handed persons; and

Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the comb of Fig. 8.

The showing of Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 wherein is shown a comb for exercising and treating the hair and scalp, the comb comprising, in the main, a handle l0 and a back-portion II, the latter being substantially rectangular in cross section but rounded on its upper edge and formed on its lower edge with curved teeth l2. In this embodiment of the invention, the curved teeth l2 of the comb are adapted to be provided with a suitable liquid for treating the hair, and to this end the back H and curved teeth I2 of the comb are molded or similarly formed from a plastic or equivalent material, each tooth constituting a, substantiallystraight root-portion I3, the base of which is molded integrally with the back-portion of the comb and projects therefrom substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof. Each tooth has a curved apex-portion I4 in the vertical plane of its respective root-portion I-3 so that the extremity of each tooth projects laterally from th root-portion substantially at right angles thereto for lifting the hair of the scalp. The concave or inner edge of this curved apexportion of each tooth defines substantially an arc of a circle, while the convex or outer edge of the tooth defines an arc of a. diiferent circle eccentric to the first. Each respective tooth is in spacedparallel relationship to the root-portion of adjacent teeth to provide a slot therebetween for accommodating strands of hair segregated by the root-portions of the teeth in a combing action. The root of each tooth on the side thereof from which its respective apex-portion projects, which side is hereinafter referred to as the inner wall of the tooth, is formed with a recess 15 extending transversely thereof. As shown especially well in Figs. 1 and 3, each recess I5 is substantially semicircular in cross section and intersects the opposite sides respectively of the root-portion of each tooth and the bottom edge of the backportion of the comb, the continuity of the circumferential wall of each recess l5 being broken at its intersection with the inner wall of the rootportion of its respective tooth to form a relatively-narrow. opening [6 extending transversely thereof. The recesses l5 of the successive teeth of the comb are aligned axially and constitute a substantially-continuous aperture indicated generally at H, extending longitudinally of the comb and in communication with the inner walls of th teeth through their respective openings IS. A wick I8 is adapted to be mounted in the longitudinally-extending aperture ll of the comb, the wick being exposed intermediate each tooth and by the openings I6 thereof to the inner walls of the teeth for bleeding a hair-treating lotion to each individual tooth of the comb, the wick l8 being supplied with the lotion by means of weepapertures [9.

In the present embodiment, four such weepapertures are provided substantially equally spaced along the length of the Wick, the lower end of each weep-aperture intersecting the upper wall of the longitudinal aperture I1 and the upper end of each weep-aperture intersecting the bottom wall of a liquid-supply passage 20 extending longitudinally through the back-portion of the comb. The forward or outer end of the liquidsupply passage 20 is blind, whereas the inner end of the passage intersects an internally-threaded substantially-circular recess 2| formed in an integral substantially-cylindrical enlargement 22 at the inner end of the back-portion ll of the 20, as shown especially Well in Fig. 5. The en-f largement 22 on the back-portion of the comb constitutes a continuation of the handle II] which,

for the most part, comprises a substantiallyel cylindrical vessel or bottle 23, the outer diameter. of which correspond to the outer diameter of as to have high degrees of curvature like those of of substantially-symmetrical oppositely-disposed V apex-portions 35-35, each tooth as a whole being The center of curvature of the rocker-shaped teeth is substantially coincident with the center of the back-portion 3| of the comb, while the apex-portions of each tooth are the enlargement 22 of the comb-back, whilethe j neck of the bottle is provided with external threads adapted to threadedly engage in the internally threaded recess 22 ofthe comb-back.

The two partsof the handle are adapted to fit together with a liquid-tight jointso as to pre-, clude the escape of liquid from the, bottle. The liquid in the bottle 23, ispreferably a hair lotion and is adapted to flow into the-longitudinal supply-passage 20' in the back-portion of the comb through the weep-aperture I9 thereof to the Wick I8. Thus, when the comb'is drawn through the hair, the hair is raised by the curved apices of the teeth adjacent the openings [6 atthe rootportions thereof to Wipe over the wick, whereby the hair lotion is applied to the hair. Simultaneously with the applicationof the lotion to the hair, the curved apices of the teeth of the comb lift the hair so as to exert a gentle pull thereon which exercises thescalp androots of the hair and facilitates straightening snarled and matted hair. V

Theshowing of Figs. 6 and 7 A modification of the curved tooth comb of this invention is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 in which the comb, indicated generally at 25, is/ formed of a plastic or equivalent material, and comprises a solid handle'26 and a solid back-portion 21 sub- 7 stantially rectangularfincross' section, itsupper edge being rounded, and its loweredge formed with integral curved teeth 23; The, handle 25 is substantially circular incross section, and formed integrally with theback-portion of the comb, the

longitudinalaxis of the handle beingeccentric thereto, as shown especially well. in Fig.2. Each tooth 23 of the comb is formedsimilarly with a root-portion 2'9 andan apex-portion 3B, the longitudinal axis of the root-portionof each tooth being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the comb-back. 21. In thi embodiment of the invention, the curved apex-portion 59 ofeach tooth is formed substantially on the arc of a relatively-small circle such that the apex-portion of each tooth is offset laterally from and at substantially right angles, to its respective root-portion. This increased curvature of the, teeth of the comb provides an improved lifting action on the hair and, in particular, thick hair, for exercising the roots thereof and the scalp.

, The showing of Figsi 81mg; 9

a relatively-constricted root-portion 34' joined integrally atits upper end to the bottom edge of.

the back-portion 3| of the comb; and a pair formed'on the arcs'of relatively-small circles such Although the curved teeth 'shown in Figs. 6

and '7 and Figs. 8 and 9 are associated with combs of substantially-solid back and handle construction, it will be understood that the teeth of this curvature and configuration may be used in conjunction with acornb having a hollow back and handle andthe wickconstruction of the comb of Figs. 1 through 5, for treating the hair and scalp with a suitable lotion;

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics ofthe invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as' illustrative andfnot restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claim are intended to beembraced therein;

Iclaimz. V V

A comb for treating the hair'and scalp, said comb comprising a back-portion; and teeth on said back-portion, each tooth comprising a substantially-straight root-portion and a curved apex-portion which projects laterally therefrom at substantially right angles thereto for lifting w the hair from the scalp, the root-portion of eachtooth being formedv integrally with the back-portion of said comb and arranged *in spaced substantially-parallel relationship to the root-portion of an adjacent tooth to provide-a slot therebetween for accommodating strands of hair segregated by the root-portions ofthe teeth in a combing action, the inner edge of the curved apex-portion of each tooth being the are of a circle and the outer edge of each curved apex-portion being the arc of a circle eccentric.

to the circle defining thearcuate inner edge of thecurved apex-portion of the corresponding tooth. A

LAVELLE W. SHIELDS.

REFERENCES CITED 7 The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Eberhard Apr. 23, 1935 

